President Biden lamented late Monday that Secret Service protection has prevented him from interacting closely with spectators at events, even though the president has the authority to ignore their advice.
Biden, 81, has long criticized his entourage and security guards for getting in the way, and aired his complaint to reporters on Labor Day as he returned from a campaign rally in Pennsylvania with Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I feel good,” the president said when asked by a reporter how it felt to be back on the podium, “but I can't go out in crowds anymore because the Secret Service won't let me.”
“They said it's too dangerous,” Biden said when asked why restrictions were in place. “Nobody can go out.”
The Secret Service is stepping up security measures following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13.
But Biden has the right to greet supporters at events even if his surrogate doesn't give him permission.
During his presidency, Biden has complained that even basic tasks like responding to interrogations required permission from subordinates and bodyguards, raising speculation about the extent of control he has over his administration.
For example, while campaigning in Michigan in March, the president asked a staffer, “Can I ask you a few questions?”
“Yes, we'd like to ask you a few questions,” the staff member replied.
Earlier that month, during a task force meeting on cost-of-living cuts, Biden drew laughter when he tweeted, “I have so many questions. I better not start asking questions, because I'll get myself in trouble.”
“You guys are bad people. I shouldn't be answering all these questions,” the president said during an exchange with reporters in May 2021. “I should go, but I can't resist your questions.”
A few weeks later, Biden again let slip that it would be “a problem” if he was taken off the pre-scheduled press list for the closing news conference of the three-day G7 summit in 2021.
The White House faced intense scrutiny this summer over the steps its staff took to protect Biden, whose performance in a debate with Trump in late June raised intense concerns about his age and mental health.
On July 21, Biden announced that he would not seek a second term and endorsed Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Monday's event in Pittsburgh marked Biden's first joint campaign appearance with the vice president since dropping out of the race.
The 81-year-old president has spent several weeks away from the White House since the withdrawal, including a stay at Camp David, a stay at the home of Masimo CEO Joe Kiani in Santa Ynez, California, and a vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“I feel really good about Pennsylvania. I think we're going to win Pennsylvania,” he told reporters Monday night.
The latest polls show Harris leading Trump by 0.5 percentage points. RealClearPolitics Count Poll from the Keystone State.
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes and is seen by many observers as a key state in the 2024 election cycle.
